Large theropod similar to Acrocanthosaurus (THAIR-oh-pod; ACK-roh-KAN-thoh-SORE-us)

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A few teeth and bones from giant meat-eating theropod dinosaurs have been found in the Washington, D.C. area. The teeth have distinctive blunt serrations along "knife-blade" edges that suggest they came from a relative of Acrocanthosaurus, a huge predator over 11 meters (36 feet) long found in similar-aged rocks in Texas and Oklahoma. The few bones we have, including a large toe bone, are also similar to those of Acrocanthosaurus, but we do not have enough bones to be certain it was the same species. This animal's large size likely made it the dominant carnivore in this ecosystem.